Life on Pleasant: 2012-2013 School Year

Well, it's about time. We FINALLY began our school year yesterday. I had the best of intentions of starting at the end of August, but we decided to have a moving sale and, well, that sorta took over our lives for about two weeks. The sale was very successful (translated: we sold lots and lots of STUFF), and the kids were active participants and learned a little something about business and working with the public. All good, and I can count it as school hours.

I was determined to start school after the garage sale, which would have been last week, but God had slightly different plans. About three weeks ago, my naturopath found a lump in my breast during a routine exam. She didn't think it was anything serious but urged me to get an ultrasound just to be certain. So, last Tuesday, I went in for an ultrasound only to be told there was indeed a lump, the margins were unclear, and I should seriously consider getting a mammogram...like immediately. Always the rebel, I told the radiologist I was not sold on mammograms (one mammogram has 1000x MORE radiation than one chest x-ray) and that I would need to discuss things with my doctor and husband first. He didn't seem thrilled but said I should do what I was comfortable with. After talking to Ed, my doctor, my mom, and doing some research, I decided a thermogram would be a much safer option. I found a company called BRAS that does thermograms and, PRAISE THE LORD, there is a location right here in KC! I called right away and scheduled an appointment for the next day, which was Wednesday the 12th. I was really very nervous those hours in between the ultrasound and thermogram but knew many people were praying for me and that God was with me, no matter the outcome. I went in Wednesday morning and was welcomed by the owner and CEO of the company. She was so sweet and put me right at ease. She explained the process, and we got started. Ed came with me and was such a wonderful support. He was sitting in the corner of the room where he could see the pictures pop up on the computer screen and gave me a thumb's up when it showed both breasts to be CLEAR. Because the owner of the company is an ND and not an MD, she could not give me a final interpretation of the pictures, but she did say that I should relax. :) She sent the pictures to a team of MDs who looked at them in more detail and, today, I got the official report that says everything looks good and both breasts are considered "low risk." I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief but will not forget how those few hours of not knowing challenged me to make every moment count and not to sweat the small stuff. I feel as though God used this whole experience to say "Casey, you need to slow down, trust more, worry less, and put ME first in ALL THINGS.

So, here we are. We completed our second day of school today. So far, so good. The kids seem to like our curriculum and are excited about learning many new things this year!